Koreans carry the day at TestFest

Hyundai garners hat trick, while Kia wins two categories with its Optima models

By Andrew McCredie, Postmedia News

Originally published: November 3, 2011

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NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, Ont.

We came. We drove. We voted.

And when the brake dusted cleared at the Automotive Journalists of Canada 2012 Car of the Year competition last Friday, Korean manufacturers Hyundai and Kia were the big winners, claiming between them five of 11 categories. Mercedes-Benz took two category awards, with the remainder shared between four manufacturers.

The annual gathering of Canada’s top automotive journalists played out over four days here in the beautiful Niagara Peninsula, with a local airport converted into a test track serving as the base of operations, and local roadways – from a major highway to country backroads – providing plenty of real-world driving opportunities.

Only models that are all-new, or significantly new, were in the contest. This year, 57 vehicles in 11 categories were entered.

I managed to drive 42 of them during the three-and-a-half days of testing, and while I agreed with the majority of winners, I was still surprised by a few.

Namely, the Chevrolet Volt finishing in third place behind runner-up Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and winner Kia Optima Hybrid. Clearly, many of my fellow voting colleagues felt the Volt’s as-tested price ($44,135) put it out of the running, but I still felt its cutting-edge technology deserved the nod over the two excellent Korean hybrids for the Family Car over $30,000 category crown.

Likewise, I thought the all-new Range Rover Evoque bested the VW Touareg TDI in the SUV-CUV $35,000-$60,000 category, not only because of price — the Evoque was $49,695, the VW $53,575 — but also in terms of road handling and interior design. However, I’m not surprised at the outcome as many AJAC voters have a history of giving extra weight to diesel-powered vehicles.

That also could explain how the ground-shaking Jaguar XKR-S lost out to the Mercedes-Benz S350 BlueTEC 4Matic in the Prestige over $75,000 category.

Still, all the winners, and for that matter the vast majority of all the new vehicles entered, were of exceptional quality, with the final results serving as a great tool for new car buyers as they kick tires and go on their own test drives in the coming months.

The category winners, listed at right, qualify for AJAC Canadian Car of the Year and AJAC Canadian SUV/CUV of the Year honours, which will be announced on Feb. 16 at the Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto.